Yoshiya Tanaka1, Sean O'Neill2, Mengtao Li3, I-Ching Tsai4, Ya-Wen Yang5. 1. School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan. 2. Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney Northern Clinical School, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia. 3. Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, National Clinical Research Center for Immunologic Diseases, Ministry of Science & Technology, and Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China. 4. Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Taipei City, Taiwan. 5. Global Medical Affairs, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemiology, current treatment, and disease burden of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. METHODS: A targeted literature review of published evidence on SLE in the APAC region was conducted, using the Medline database (2008-2018), conference proceedings, and other supplementary sources. RESULTS: The current review identified 70 studies conducted in China (n = 15), Japan (n = 13), Taiwan (n = 12), Korea (n = 9), Australia (n = 7), Hong Kong (n = 6), Singapore (n = 4), and multiple places within the APAC region (n = 4). Incidence rates (per 100,000 persons per year) ranged from 0.9-8.4, while prevalence rates ranged from 3.7-127 (per 100,000 persons); however, recent data were limited. Asian patients with SLE were reported to have higher disease severity, disease activity (higher SLE disease activity index scores), and organ damage accrual, along with increased morbidity, mortality, and susceptibility to renal involvement compared with other ethnicities in the APAC region. The risk of developing SLE is higher in the Asian population. Routinely used SLE therapies included belimumab, hydroxychloroquine, cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, and glucocorticoids; however, prescribing patterns varied across the region. Increased disease activity was associated with high economic burden and poor quality of life for SLE patients in the APAC region. CONCLUSION: SLE remains a disease with a significant unmet medical need for an innovative therapy that is well-tolerated and effective for patients in the APAC region. Further evidence is required to better characterize the disease and fully capture the burden and impact of SLE in the APAC region. This review has highlighted where there is a paucity of data from patients across the APAC region.
OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemiology, current treatment, and disease burden of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. METHODS: A targeted literature review of published evidence on SLE in the APAC region was conducted, using the Medline database (2008-2018), conference proceedings, and other supplementary sources. RESULTS: The current review identified 70 studies conducted in China (n = 15), Japan (n = 13), Taiwan (n = 12), Korea (n = 9), Australia (n = 7), Hong Kong (n = 6), Singapore (n = 4), and multiple places within the APAC region (n = 4). Incidence rates (per 100,000 persons per year) ranged from 0.9-8.4, while prevalence rates ranged from 3.7-127 (per 100,000 persons); however, recent data were limited. Asian patients with SLE were reported to have higher disease severity, disease activity (higher SLE disease activity index scores), and organ damage accrual, along with increased morbidity, mortality, and susceptibility to renal involvement compared with other ethnicities in the APAC region. The risk of developing SLE is higher in the Asian population. Routinely used SLE therapies included belimumab, hydroxychloroquine, cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, and glucocorticoids; however, prescribing patterns varied across the region. Increased disease activity was associated with high economic burden and poor quality of life for SLE patients in the APAC region. CONCLUSION: SLE remains a disease with a significant unmet medical need for an innovative therapy that is well-tolerated and effective for patients in the APAC region. Further evidence is required to better characterize the disease and fully capture the burden and impact of SLE in the APAC region. This review has highlighted where there is a paucity of data from patients across the APAC region.